British singers Church, Ferguson snub Trump inauguration

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British singers Church, Ferguson snub Trump inauguration

By Estelle Shirbon and Jonathan Allen

REUTERS

 

British singer Charlotte Church arrives at a division of the High Court, in central London, February 27, 2012. REUTERS/Andrew Winning/File Photo

 

LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - British singers Charlotte Church and Rebecca Ferguson have rejected invitations from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's team to perform at his inauguration next week, they said in separate statements on Tuesday.

 

The rejections follow other apparent snubs by celebrities including Elton John, whose publicist denied in November that he would be performing at the event after an economic adviser to Trump had said that he would.

 

Singer Rebecca Ferguson poses as she arrives for the European premiere of the film "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back" at Leicester Square in London, Britain October 20, 2016. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh/File Photo

 

"@realDonaldTrump Your staff have asked me to sing at your inauguration, a simple Internet search would show I think you're a tyrant. Bye," wrote Church in a tweet she concluded with derogatory emojis.

 

Tom Barrack, a longtime friend of Trump who is organising the Jan. 20 event, brushed aside suggestions that there would be a lack of star power at the Jan. 20 festivities.

 

Barrack told reporters that Trump himself was "the greatest celebrity in the world" and that the inauguration committee was aiming for a "much more poetic cadence" rather than "a circus-like celebration that's a coronation."

 

Trump's inauguration committee did not reply to requests for comment about Church and Ferguson.

 

Classical crossover singer Jackie Evancho, who rose to fame as a child performer on the TV show "America's Got Talent" six years ago, has confirmed she would sing the U.S. national anthem at Trump's inauguration.

 

Church, who also began her career as a child classical singer, has spoken out in recent years about her left-leaning political views, and posted multiple tweets during the 2016 campaign criticizing Trump.

 

Ferguson, who gained prominence as a runner-up on the TV talent show "The X Factor" in 2010, said on Tuesday she too had refused to perform at Trump's inauguration because her choice of the song "Strange Fruit" was rejected.

 

The anti-racist song, which has been performed by the likes of Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, protests against the lynching of African-Americans in the South in the early 20th century.

 

"I requested to sing 'Strange Fruit' as I felt it was the only song that would not compromise my artistic integrity," Ferguson said in a statement.

 

"As music is so powerful, I wanted to try and help educate the people watching of where division and separation can lead to if not corrected. My aim was not to cause contention," she said.

 

(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton in Washington; Editing by Janet Lawrence and Tom Brown)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-01-11

[JetsetBkk]

Oh no! I am devastated.

 

[DavidVincent]

" Ferguson, who gained prominence as a runner-up on the TV talent show "The X Factor" in 2010, said on Tuesday she too had refused to perform at Trump's inauguration because her choice of the song "Strange Fruit" was rejected. "

 

This would have make the "alt-right" supporters (read racists white supremacists) turn crazy...even if I bet 90% of them never heard of that song or the symbol it bears....

[mercman24]

like wise, i sent my invite back, gone fishing.

[Silurian]

2 minutes ago, mercman24 said:

like wise, i sent my invite back, gone fishing.

 

Mine went down the bowl with a brown stain on it.

 

[klauskunkel]

Better to accept, and then don't show up...

Make him sing by himself. Just like in the shower.

[mike324]

What does it take to get so many rejections? Ouch, perhaps they should stop trying to invite celebs and just go about it with singers from the local communities that support them...just a thought

 

But last I remember Kayene West supports Trump, perhaps he would be a surprise performer.

[Silurian]

15 minutes ago, mike324 said:

What does it take to get so many rejections? Ouch, perhaps they should stop trying to invite celebs and just go about it with singers from the local communities that support them...just a thought

 

But last I remember Kayene West supports Trump, perhaps he would be a surprise performer.

 

The military bands will play though I doubt they could really say no. I wonder what it means that they need to state the highlights of the parade will be military and police units? Maybe they can goosestep in front of the presidential podium.

 

Trump inaugural parade to spotlight military and police units

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trump-inaugural-parade-to-spotlight-military-and-police-units/2016/12/30/b751a42a-cea3-11e6-a747-d03044780a02_story.html?

 

[evadgib]

I hope he superglues the syrup :)

[mike324]

31 minutes ago, Silurian said:

 

The military bands will play though I doubt they could really say no. I wonder what it means that they need to state the highlights of the parade will be military and police units? Maybe they can goosestep in front of the presidential podium.

 

Trump inaugural parade to spotlight military and police units

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trump-inaugural-parade-to-spotlight-military-and-police-units/2016/12/30/b751a42a-cea3-11e6-a747-d03044780a02_story.html?

 

 

Just read that article, thought it was crazy to have 8000 members in parade, did some digging online and found out Obama had up to 15,000.

That is crazy and quite wasteful of funds even though its donated

[Silurian]

2 minutes ago, mike324 said:

 

Just read that article, thought it was crazy to have 8000 members in parade, did some digging online and found out Obama had up to 15,000.

That is crazy and quite wasteful of funds even though its donated

 

Either they will need to add another 8,000 or have them loop around twice. There is no way that the child PEOTUS is going to have a smaller parade than Obama. It has got to be Yuge!

[Baerboxer]

At least it will save Church getting pissed. mouthing off and embarrassing herself with her behavior - again. 

 

Ferguson - who??? Most people would think of the town rather than some hardly famous singer.

 

They must be really scraping the barrel.

[Silurian]

And the pathetic loser strikes again...

 

According to the fraudulent PEOTUS: "All the dress shops are sold out in Washington. It's hard to find a great dress for this inauguration."

According to the actual shop owners:

"We have 200 dresses, if not more, in stock."
-- Mae Shipe, owner of Mae's Dress Boutique

"There's never been less demand for inaugural ball gowns in my 38 years."
-- Peter Marx, owner of Saks Jandel

 

Donald Trump Doesn’t Understand Inauguration Dress Sales—or Online Shopping at All, It Seems

http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/01/donald-trump-inauguration-dress-shops